The Garage (downstairs)

Opened in 1993, The Garage quickly established itself as the capital’s finest indie and rock venue playing host to many bands early on in their careers. Playing a show at The Garage became something of a right of passage. The venue became part of MAMA Group plc’s estate in August 2007 in the acquisition of Mean Fiddler Holdings (which also included the Jazz Cafe and Borderline). In January 2009 MAMA Group and HMV created a new joint venture Mean Fiddler Group under which HMV acquired 50% ownership of 11 of MAMA Group’s venues, namely The Garage, Jazz Cafe, Heaven, G-A-Y Bar, G-A-Y Late, The Borderline, Aberdeen’s Moshulu and the renamed: HMV Hammersmith Apollo, HMV Forum, HMV Picture House, Edinburgh and opening later this year the HMV Institute, Birmingham… The Garage was refurbished in time for its’ relaunch as the Relentless Garage in June 2009, with joint naming rights with Relentless Energy Drinks. The refurbishment featured major improvements including new dressing rooms and production facilities as well as new PA & Lights. It now has an increased capacity from 350 to 600. The venue has also become fully digitally equipped, so that bands can produce top quality live recordings for on the spot release. A selection of bands that have passed through The Garage doors: Arctic Monkeys, Test Icicles, The Killers, Cat Power, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, My Morning Jacket, Fionn Regan, Drugstore, Lightyear, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Razorlight, Cypress Hill, The Shins, Stereophonics, Damien Rice, My Vitriol, Le Tigre, The Darkness, Biffy Clyro, Modest Mouse, Feeder, Young Knives, Rumble Strips, Moby, King Kurt, Babyshambles, Kings of Leon, Sleepy Jackson, K T Tunstall, The Gossip, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jeff Buckley, Dirty Pretty Things, Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones, HIM, My Chemical Romance, The Rasmus, Spiritualized, Catatonia, Supergrass, Placebo, Elastica, Radiohead and Oasis.